1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for making a synthetic gem out of remains recovered from a species of the Kingdom Animalia.
2. Description of the Related Art
Synthetic gems have been manufactured since the 1960s as an attempt to substitute for naturally occurring gems. Advances in the methods of manufacture have made it possible to produce synthetic gems of equal or better appearance than naturally occurring gems. Examples of these synthetic gems include the synthetic diamonds disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,673, and the moissanite gems disclosed in, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,762,896, 6,025,289, and 6,200,917.
Even though synthetic gems can be indistinguishable from naturally occurring gems to the untrained eye, a trained person in the jewelry field can easily distinguish between naturally occurring and synthetic gems by using the following methods, among others: viewing the refraction lines under a microscope, viewing metallic inclusions through the microscope, subjecting synthetic gems to shortwave ultraviolet light and viewing patterns caused by seed crystals under the microscope. Because of the relative ease with which a trained person can distinguish synthetic gems from naturally occurring gems, the synthetic gem's value is much lower than that of a naturally occurring gem. These factors have severely limited the appeal of the synthetic gems, and the success of the synthetic gem business as a whole. In the case of synthetic diamonds the cost to produce them is equal to, or more expensive than natural gem quality diamonds. Because of these factors, naturally occurring gems remain much more popular and valuable than synthetic gems.
Producers of synthetic gems are currently using graphite that is mined from beneath the earth's surface, or synthetic graphite made from burning wood in the absence of oxygen, as their source of carbon for producing synthetic gems. This carbon source cannot be traced to any specific animal, and commonly is derived from wood or other plant material, and therefore a gem produced solely from this source would have several disadvantages when compared to the present invention: a synthetic gem made solely from mined graphite would not be used as a memorial gem in a memorial or funeral service for a deceased human or animal; a synthetic gem made solely from mined graphite would not be used as a keepsake that preserves the remains and memories of the deceased for bereaved family, friends, loved ones, lovers, or acquaintances; a synthetic gem made solely from mined graphite would not provide a symbol of the bond between two individuals who wish to express their commitment by providing ingredients to a single synthetic gem; and a synthetic gem made solely from mined graphite would not produce a unique collectable gem celebrating a famous person.
Recently, synthetic gemstones have been attempted to be made from cremated remains. However, old cremation methods reduce human remains to ashes, typically consisting of bone ash and small amounts of elements including carbon. The ashes that remain from old cremation methods are typically light gray in color and are aesthetically pleasing to the relatives and loved ones of the deceased. Any black specks within the ashes usually represent elemental carbon, but these specks are not aesthetically pleasing because relatives and loved ones would rather have a uniform gray color. Typically, if there are any black specks present within the ashes, they are subjected to additional cremation to remove these conceived irregularities. This makes carbon collection difficult. In order to turn these remains into a synthetic diamond, the carbon must be separated from the bone ash, which can be done by the steps of collecting, filtering, purifying, and graphitized. This is a tedious process that optionally can be overcome by the present invention.